


The Color Green, Fruit Filled Cakes and Gifts from the Dead

by Cloud_Nine



Series: Colors or How Bilbo Collects the Company Before the Quest to Retake Erebor [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Abrupt Ending, Baby Ori, Brothers being Awesome, Dwarf gender is made of awesome, Family of Choice, Gen, Gifted Bilbo, I laugh at those things, I laugh in the face of canon, I probably broke hobbit lore and such, Long Lived Hobbits, Nori is an awesome brother, Origins of Ori, Surprisingly no Thorin, There is a part that is so sweet it made my teeth hurt, Timelines too, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2013-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-04 22:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Nine/pseuds/Cloud_Nine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belladonna Baggins nee Took was a very strange hobbit. She ran off on adventures, sought out elves and wizards and was generally just not very hobbit-like. When asked why, she would always reply why not? When Bilbo asked she would always explain that she was looking for something, something that couldn’t be found in the Hobbiton or even the Shire. Bilbo never got more of an answer than that, until she died and left him with a special gift. She has been given it by a wizard years before, a special gift that showed her many things but one thing that was most important. It showed her family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Color Green, Fruit Filled Cakes and Gifts from the Dead

Bilbo Baggins was a very strange hobbit, even by the standards of his Took kin, he was very odd. It wasn’t that Bilbo was unhobbit like, oh no, Bilbo Baggins was very much a respectable hobbit thank you very much. He ate his seven meals a day, he sat out in his yard and smoked his pipe, and never went on any adventures. Perfectly respectable hobbit behavior. 

What made Bilbo Baggins strange wasn’t his mannerisms or his actions oh no, what made him strange was a gift that he had been given. It was not a gift of stone, or paper, or any material one might think of, this gift was unseen, unnoticed until the death of Bilbo’s mother just two short years ago. 

Belladonna Baggins nee Took was a very strange hobbit, much like her son, but she was strange in all of the normal ways. She ran off on adventures, sought out elves, wizards and was generally just not very hobbit-like. When asked why, she would always reply why not? When Bilbo asked she would always explain that she was looking for something, something that couldn’t be found in the Hobbiton or even the Shire. 

Bilbo never got more of an answer than that, until she died. Bilbo’s gift was one given to him by his mother. She has been given it by a wizard years before, a special gift that showed her many things but most importantly, family. It showed her family. 

“Thief! Thief!” Bilbo blinked in surprise, he had not known that the small markets of Bree had such vocal vendors. The curious hobbit, moved closer to the commotion. At the edge of the market, where traveling vendors set up their carts for the people of Bree to see there was a man, tall and dark standing over a small form. Bilbo moved closer to see. (Green) Bilbo’s heart jumped to his throat, was it a hobbit?

Still he got closer, a dwarf, it was a dwarf they had caught. Dwarrow were not uncommon in Bree, with a large population of them living just east of the Shire in the Blue Mountains dwarrow could easily make the trek to Bree if they felt the need. This dwarf obviously felt the need. 

“Where are the rangers? Come someone one call someone to deal with this filth!” The vendor snarled as two men that could only be his kin held the squirming thief. Bilbo continued to frown the closer he made it to the cart in question. 

Food, the vendor sold food. Bilbo gave the dwarf a look over (Green) and could say he was honestly not surprised, for all the hair he could see on the dwarf it was easy to see he was thin. Much too thin if you were to ask a hobbit. 

“Tried to make off with two of my finest travel packs, he did!” The vendor said to what appeared to me just a nosey customer. “My boy caught him though!” The boy in question was holding one arm of the dwarf and grinned at his father. 

“Search him boys, to make sure he has not stolen anything else from the other fine vendors.” The man commanded. Bilbo watched as the dwarf began to struggle in earnest, and Bilbo knew that if they were to turn out the dwarf's pockets they would be filled with the wares of the market. 

“Nori! Nori!” A small childish voice yelled drawing attention from the search of the dwarrow. A tiny, smaller than even Bilbo, dwarfling (Green) ran into the clearing made by the search of the dwarf and cried out again. “Nori!” 

For Bilbo it clicked, two travel packs. Two. One for himself and one for the dwarfling. His musing was cut short when yet another dwarf entered the area. “Ori! Come back here!” This time an older dwarf , he took looked like he had fallen on hard times and as he swept the dwarfling into his arms(Green they were all Green) Bilbo reassessed his guess. Two packs. Neither of them were for him. They were for his family. 

“Look at this! Thread! Clothing! Tea! This dwarf,” the vendor spat the word dwarf like poison. “Sought to rob us all blind!” 

“Take his hand da!” One of the boys holding the dwarf called to his father. “It’s only right! Take his livelihood like he tried to take ours!” 

The father smiled and his hand went to what Bilbo guessed was a knife at his belt. “Yes, boy, I agree perfect punishment! His livelihood for ours!” Several vendor cheered but many in the crowd looked horrified. Bree while a bit wild by hobbit standards was never so violent, it was madness. 

“Nori! No!” The other grown dwarf shouted trying to step closer but the one called Nori shook his head. 

“Take Ori away, Dori. It’ll be fine.” 

The vendor flicked his eyes to and from the dwarrow. “Kinfolk of yours thief? They should stay and watch, teach the youngster a lesson.” 

“Nori!” The little dwarfling shouted struggling to free himself from the arms of what Bilbo assumed to be an older brother or father. 

“Please! How much to buy his freedom? He’s my brother, what can I do to stop this!?” The one called Dori asked desperately. 

“How much? To settle this? Ha!” The vendor said, “Far more than you could pay!”

“Name your price.” Bilbo called from his spot in the crowd that had gathered. “I’ll pay it.” All three of them were green, it was the least he could do.

All eyes turned to the hobbit, Bilbo was dressed in his finest traveling clothes and he made sure to fish out his money purse so all could see it was full. It was luck that Bilbo had just arrived in Bree and still had all of his money on him, else when the vendor quoted the outrageous price Bilbo would not have been able to take care of it. 

“There, it’s all paid for, if you will release the dwarf and collect my things in a bag, please and thank you. We will be taking our leave.” Bilbo said sounding much braver than he felt. 

The two boys that had held the dwarf, Nori (Green!), gathered the items taken from his pockets and threw them all in a bag. Both dwarf and bag were harshly shoved at the hobbit. “There, take your thief and leave, halfling!” 

“I shall!” Bilbo remarked back, grabbing hold of the dwarf's sleeve and tugging him along gently. He paused when he reached the other two, “Come with me please, and we can get his settled.” Without another incident the three dwarrow followed the hobbit until they reached the Prancing Pony. 

“I’ll buy us a bit of lunch and we can talk then, yes?” Bilbo asked looking at the two older dwarves. The littlest one was tightly gripping the beard of the thief and Bilbo couldn’t help but smile at the sight. The little family was very cute. 

No one spoke other than to order food. The little dwarfling sat between his brothers and Bilbo across from them and still they were green. It was tense and awkward as only the situation earlier could make it. Bilbo did not want to break the silence, he was unsure of why he had done what he had, how did you explain the situation? 

Perhaps he could say it was the look of the dwarfling as he cried out or the eyes of the older dwarf as he watched his brother’s suffer. Had it not been for his gift, Bilbo would have done it because of the face of the thief. The desperation to provide for his family Bilbo had only ever seen once, in the face of his own mother. 

“Thank you, Master Hobbit, for helping us. I am Dori, the one you so graciously saved is Nori and this-”

“I’m Ori!” the little one said cheerfully. Bilbo felt a smile cross his face, green indeed.

“Hello, Ori, Dori and Nori. I am Bilbo Baggins, of Bag End, I am very glad to make your acquaintance, if only wishing it were under better circumstances.” Like not having to save Nori from being separated from his hand. 

“We cannot pay you, Master Baggins.” Dori said meeting the hobbit’s eyes, the stress of taking care of his brothers weighed heavily on the dwarf and it was reflected in his eyes.. “I would have paid for Nori if I could have.” Bilbo felt a sharp pain in his heart, these dwarrow were hurting. 

“That is why I paid for him, Master Dwarf. I knew you could not. I saw the things he had stuffed in his pockets. They were not frivolous items, I saw only items to take care of a family. Speaking of which.” The hobbit paused and pulled the bag up onto the table and pushed it toward Nori. 

“You nearly lost your arm for these things, it’s only right you keep them.”

\--

Nori was sure that his luck had finally run out. The trip to Bree was more like running to Bree, Nori unlike Dori had taken up unconventional work in the Blue Mountains. To help feed his family Nori took to the darkness of the mountain rather than the light his brother preferred. It was good work, and plentiful. The only problem how often it put him on the wrong side of the law, and how it caused trouble for his brothers. 

Let’s take a trip to Bree Dori had said, let things cool down. We will return soon and everything will be alright again, Dori promised. Nori couldn’t help but wish that Ori and Dori had just let him leave. Nori was sure that Dwalin would have left his family alone. 

For as much as he disliked the other dwarf Dawlin was honorable, he wouldn’t have hurt Dori or Ori to get to him. They would have been safe, Dori would still have a job weaving fabrics and Ori would have a roof over his head rather than his brothers sleeping under a tree. 

Nori supposed that was why when he saw the goods at the market, he couldn’t help himself. What little food they had brought with them from the Mountains was gone. Ori’s clothing was beginning to fall apart and they both deserved better. 

“Thank you, Master Baggins.” Nori said taking the bag, when it appeared Dori was not going to say anything. “As my brother said, I cannot pay you for them.”

The hobbit nodded and took a bite of his food. The meal, lunch the hobbit had bought it as well, Nori couldn’t help but wonder just what the hobbit was trying to get out of this. They had made it clear they had no money. “Well it is a good thing that I do not require money isn’t it Master Dwarf?” 

For a moment Nori’s mind whispered darkly about the things the hobbit could require as payment. Nori wasn’t a good dwarf. He would rather the debt go unpaid before he let anyone hurt his family. “And just what do you require Master Hobbit?” His voice was as hard as iron and Dori tensed as well. Only little Ori continued eating his food cheerfully never noticing the tension going on around him. 

“Nothing.”

Nothing the hobbit says. Nothing. “We do not want your pity, hobbit!” Nori spit before Dori could stop him. The hobbit simply raised an eyebrow at him and continued eating. 

“Good thing, Master Dwarf, as you do not have it.” 

“Well then what do you want! Everything comes at a price, what is yours!” Nori yelled, finally this game of back and forth becoming too much. 

“Nori! Stop it! We owe him!” Dori said trying to calm his brother. Patrons from tables over were beginning to notice. 

“We do not! The hobbit has said so several times now, I refuse to put myself in his debt when he obviously does not want me too!” Nori said back. “Unless you wish to change your mind?” The last part obviously a shot at the hobbit who daintily wiped at his mouth and met the dwarves eyes easily. 

“Master Dwarf, I saved you not to hold a debt over you. I did what I could to help your family and if you and your brother truly wish to repay me, I only ask that you indulge in my hospitality for a few days.” Bilbo ignored the looked from the dwarrow and continued. “You will be unable to find lodgings in Bree after that little incident and I open my home to you.”

“You say that you do not wish for me to be in your debt, Hobbit, yet every time you open your mouth, you invite us to fall deeper in your debt!” Nori said eyes flashing dangerously.

“I invite you Mast Dwarf to protect your family. Not since my own mother have I seen one so determined to protect someone they love. As my mother died to protect me I would ask that you not look so offended.” Dori gave his brother a whack on the shoulder and little Ori just continued to smile at the hobbit. 

“We would gladly accept your hospitality, Master Baggins, with many thanks from my brothers and I.” Dori said smoothly. Unlike Nori he wanted a real bed to sleep in, and Ori could do with a bath, if they could trouble their host for use of his wash room. 

The hobbit smiled and finished off his food. “Well it’s settled then, call me Bilbo, Master Baggins was my father. I shall go collect a few things from the market and meet you here in less than an hour, if that works for you?” Getting a nod from Dori he continued, “Lovely, lunch has been paid for, finish up and I will see you soon.” 

The hobbit easily disappeared in the crowd of taller folk leaving the three dwarrow still in shock at the table. “Dori, are us stayin’ wit the nice hobbity?” Ori asked tugging at his eldest brother. 

“Yes, Ori, we are staying with the hobbit for the night.” Dori said almost absentmindedly stressing the words that Ori said incorrectly. “For once you can think Nori for getting us lodging.” Although his tone was light Dori’s eyes said just how upset he was with the middle brother. 

Nori, like always, ignored his brother. “This will end badly, trust me. I don’t know what game the hobbit playing but we will regret it in the end.” The thief sighed and turned to his food. “Eat your food Dori. Can’t say no to a free meal.” 

\--

 

Bilbo leaned against the wall of the pub he had just exited as his heart attempted to pound out of his chest. He could not believe he had just done that, practically ordered two dwarves around. Bilbo wasn’t sure where that courage had came from. It was almost like he had been overtaken by his mother in that moment. Belladonna would not have wasted even a moment buying the freedom of the thief, she would not have taken no for an answer and in that moment Bilbo truly felt as if he were his mother’s son. 

It had been many years since Bilbo had truly embraced his Took side. The Baggins part of himself while a little scandalized at the way Bilbo had gone about it was in agreement with the Took side. The dwarrows needed help and Bilbo had the means to help them. It was like his mother has said. 

As stuffy as his father was, Belladonna had fallen in love with Bungo for a reason, he was kind and fun loving, the perfect match for the Took that wanted to help everyone around her. Bilbo knew that he was a perfect blend of his parents, and he was finally showing it. 

Since the death of his mother, only two winters ago Bilbo had been floundering. Without a family the hobbit drifted around the Shire without a purpose and it was starting to show. Now, with the dwarrow in mind Bilbo could feel something ignite within him that he hadn’t felt since his mother’s death. Purpose, and family.

The hobbit that had remained plastered to the wall took a deep breath and stood shakily. Bilbo didn’t need be told he had wasted most of his time lost in thought, the hobbit took a moment more to brush off his clothing and make himself presentable. There were still a things he need to make sure he bought. Assuming he could still afford them, of course.

\--

Nori, Dori and Ori stood by the door of the pub waiting for the hobbit to return. “Come on Dori, let’s just go and be done with it. I’m sure that if it’s just you and Ori we could find an inn for you.” Nori said scanning the pub. 

“No. We will stay together. I promised you that when we left Erebor.” Dori said firmly holding his little brother’s hand. “This is a good opportunity for us, Nori. We owe the hobbit, no matter what he says and if this is what he wants as repayment then we will do as he asks. It’s simple enough.” 

Nori scoffed, “Right, and if this isn’t the kindness it appears?” 

Dori’s face tightened and he shot Nori a dangerous look, “Then as the oldest I will take care of it.” 

Nori’s face melted into concern and pain, “Dori, no-”

“Well, I feel almost bad for expecting you to have left Bree already.” The voice of Nori’s savior said with rueful amusement. Both older dwarrows turned to face the hobbit that had just been the subject of their conversation. “Are you ready to leave? It’s a bit of a walk, to the Shire just to the west of here shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.” 

“Come on then, we will need to make good time if we want to make it back to Bag End before we miss afternoon tea” Bilbo said with a smile. 

\--

 

The trip was easy enough, Ori was a delightful dwarfling. He was nothing but cheer and questions the whole way. Dori was polite enough but Nori was rude and standoffish. Bilbo didn’t hold that against him. Once safely tucked away in Bag End, Bilbo showed the dwarrow to the guest bedrooms and let them decided amongst themselves who would sleep where. 

While his guests were settling in Bilbo set out making afternoon tea, just something light since they were fresh off the road. A nice tea, Bilbo guessed tea was something Dori enjoyed by the selection that Nori had pilfered from the markets, a few tasty cakes to hold them over until dinner. It was perfect. 

With tea well on it’s way to being done Bilbo set out to make sure his guests would be properly cared for, as winter was slowly creeping closer. Bag End was very warm at night but with the little one in the house, Bilbo wanted to make sure that the brothers stayed warm. Ducking into his storage closet, Bilbo grabbed the extra blankets and headed toward his guests. 

Bilbo knocked twice and waited for someone to answer. Nori stared at the hobbit standing in the doorway and Bilbo smiled sunnily. “Here you go, now Bag End stays warm enough but just in case, I don’t want you getting cold. Tea will be ready shortly, it will be served in the den, just join me when you are ready!” 

\--

Nori watched the little hobbit rush off to the den holding the blankets he had been handed. The dwarf stared down at the blankets for a moment then tossed them on the bed he had been gifted with for the night. Between the extras and what was already on the bed, it was unlikely that Nori or his brothers would feel even a bit chilled during the night. 

“What did Bilbo want?” Dori called from the closet. The older dwarf had peeled the coats from his brothers the moment they entered the hobbit hole and made use of the storage space provided. 

“He brought us blankets. They’re on the bed.” Nori said taking his seat back on the bed. “He said tea should be done soon.” Dori gave a grunt and exited the closet. “Where’d Ori get off too?”

“He was under the bed last I saw him, playing miner.” Dori remarked, “Grab him and we can go join our host for tea.” 

Nori nodded and flipped himself backwards so that he lay on his stomach leaning over the edge of the bed. The dwarf grinned when he saw a tiny foot sticking out from under the bed. “Rawr! I’m the mighty dragon!” Nori cried grabbing at his brother’s foot and giving it a tug. 

The little dwarf squealed and scooted away from his older brother. “Dragon!” Ori cried, “Dori a dragon!” 

“Best fight it off Ori, or else it will steal your treasure!” The oldest dwarf cautioned with a smile, while the fall of Erebor was still painful to all who lived through it, it was nice to see that they could be happy. 

Ori gave Nori a fierce look and launched his attack. “Ahhh! My treasures!” 

Nori grabbed his brother and swung him up in the air, “I think not dwarfling! I shall devour you!” Nori tossed Ori gently to the bed and pretended to eat him. 

“Dori! Help!” Ori cried between laughter trying to fend off his brother-dragon. 

Dori laughed, “Back you foul beast! That’s my Ori!” Dori grabbed a pillow and gave his brother a quick whack to the back of the head. Nori, true to the game gave a roar and fell over. 

“You have bested me, dwarves. Though, your handsome, brave brother Nori could have done so faster and better and-” Dori laughed and shoved the pillow of Nori’s face before he could say anymore. 

“Quick Ori, lets run away and eat all of the tasty cakes our host is sure to have put out.” Dori said picking up the still giggling dwarfling. 

“No, Dori, Nori too!” Ori said pointing at his older brother. 

Dori sighed melodramatically, but nodded. “Fine Nori too. Up you get, you sorry excuse for a dwarf!” 

Nori sat up with a grin, “Watch your language Dori wouldn’t want Ori to copy you now would we?” 

\--

The three dwarves soon found themselves sitting in very comfortable chairs across from their hobbit host. Many different little tea cakes were spread out on a little table and hot tea sat to the side ready to be served. “Take all the cakes you like, the white ones have fruit filling, those there are obviously seed cake, and those are filled with nuts.” Bilbo explained pointing out all the different cakes. “Would you like some tea? I have sugar and milk to go with it if you want.”

“I wan tha’ one!” Ori aid pointing at one of the fruit fill cakes, Bilbo smiled and passed the dwarfling a smaller one so he could try it. 

“Dori, Nori tea?” Bilbo asked raising the tea pot. Dori nodded and Bilbo filled his cup. Shortly after Nori did as well and Bilbo filled his too. “I can pour Ori some milk if you would like, I wasn’t sure what he would drink.” Bilbo explained lifting the smaller pitcher of milk. 

Once everyone had a plate and a drink the four sat in silence, until Bilbo could stand it no longer. “I do hope you are all comfortable here.” 

Nori shrugged into his tea and Dori elbowed him sharply. “Yes, Bilbo thank you. You have a lovely home.” 

Bilbo smiled at his guests and took a drink of his tea. “Thank you, Dori, I am glad that you are enjoying yourselves. I have books and a few spare toys that my various cousins have left here, if you,” His eyes flicked from Dori to Nori, “Or little Ori need something to entertain yourselves with.” 

Dori took a drink of his tea and nodded, “Thank you, when Ori begins to climb the walls I am sure we will need them. How long do you plan on us imposing on your hospitality?” 

“Oh, only as long as you are comfortable, where were you headed, before the incident in Bree?” Bilbo asked watching Ori devour his cakes and laughing when the dwarfling ended up with fruit smeared across his face. 

“I’m not sure we truly had a destination. Nori and I seek work, you see.” Dori said ignoring the glare from his brother. 

“Work you say...what is your trade?” Bilbo asked passing Dori a napkin when the dwarf asked for one. 

“Weaving, is what I’m best at, but all things considered Nori and I can do just about anything.” The dwarf said taking another drink of his tea. Dori found the setting to be quite nice, a nice warm home, with good food and his brothers. Lovely. Now if only he could stop waiting for it all to go wrong. 

Bilbo nodded and hummed to himself. 

“Can you two stop it!” Nori said suddenly, “I can’t take anymore of your back and forth, it’s boring!” Ori giggled at his older brother’s silliness. “Just say what you are thinking, hobbit, I know you have something to say.” 

Bilbo smiled at the dwarf, and nodded, “Yes I do have an idea.” Bilbo paused to take a drink of his tea just to make Nori have to wait. 

Dori seemed to catch on and laughed, “Best hurry, Bilbo I fear my brother will begin to blow steam out of his ears if you don’t.” 

“Steam!” Ori cried clapping happily. 

“Why don’t you find work here, in the Shire? Several of my cousins are looking for help in their shops and Old Took always has some work. At least until spring, if you have plans to past Bree, that is.” Bilbo felt his heart pounding in his chest when he finally unveiled his plan. Silence, not even Ori made a sound.

“What is it you want from us, hobbit?” It was not Nori who asked this but Dori and Bilbo could only blink in surprise. “I could pass saving Nori off as kindness. Inviting us to your home was a bit much and now job offers? It’s too much. What do you want?”

\--

Bilbo bit his lip, and sat his tea cup down. “If would allow me, Dori, Nori, to tell you a story. It seems a bit out of place, I am sure but in the end it will make sense. I hope.”

“Years ago, when my mother was still but a wee hobbit lass born the ninth child of my grandfather and oldest girl no one knew of the life she was fated to live.”

“Belladonna was not a normal hobbit, not by anyone’s standards, she made friends with all beings, and spent her tween years searching for elves in the forests, and found them more than one time. Oddly enough she also attracted the attention of a wizard, Gandalf the Grey they called him, odd fellow always looking for an adventure. My mother went off with him many a times, she never quite told me why Gandalf gave her this gift, or when she received it. After my birth she would always tell me stories of the friends she made or of how she knew my father was the one for her. 'Trust your eyes, Bilbo and trust your heart for together they will never guide you wrongly'.” 

"It wasn’t until two years ago, during the harsh winter we suffered through, the river froze and the wolves and orcs descended upon us. We starved and they hunted those of us too slow to escape. I has stepped outside for a moment, I don’t even remember why they found me. The wolves surrounded me and I knew that I was going to die, I screamed when one lunged for me and my mother rushed to my aid.

I watched huddled against the hill as my mother fought off four wolves with just a broom. When the orcs came there was little either of us could do. We managed to run back to Bag End, we just made it and closed the door when the blade of an Orc sword pierced my mother’s back. 

In the end I could do nothing but watch her bleed out, but before she passed my mother explained her gift. Colors she called them, the lines that connected people together, she could see them. Every person had a line that connected them to someone else. My mother could see the people connected to herself and to those connected to her. 

She explained how it was this gift was that led her to be with my father, and how she used it to find the elves that she so loved. She told me how when she died the gift would be mine. In end she passed and all I have left are her things and this gift, that gives me what I lost that day.”

 

“So you see, when I saw Nori in the market, all I saw was green, the color of family. I could not, not help him.” Bilbo explained earnestly, twisting his hands together. Never before had he mentioned his gift from his mother. “I can prove it if you’d like. I can see the colors between the three of your as well because you are linked to me.” 

Bilbo didn’t wait for a reply. “You’re half-siblings through your mother, green wrapped in lavender. Dori is the eldest, silver. Purple….royalty? It’s very faint though…” Bilbo said looking at the dwarrow yet not seeing them. “I’m not sure what else I can saw to prove it too you. I just saw green and knew you were family.” Bilbo felt his shoulders slump, “I had to help you.”

\--

The sun had set and the moon risen high in the sky but Nori could not sleep. Never mind the soft bed and the plentiful amount of blankets. The full belly and the knowledge that Dori and Ori were safe could not even get him to drift off, instead all Nori could see was the wide eyes of the hobbit, when Dori excused himself from the table. Dori had of course taken Ori and Nori followed his brother soon after but the look in the eyes of their hobbit host still haunted him.

Dori had said little when they returned to the guest room other than declaring that they would be leaving at first light in the morning. Neither brother answer the door when the hobbit knocked to tell them dinner was ready but the smell soon brought Nori to investigate. A lovely feast had been laid out but no hobbit in sight. The brothers had eaten their fill and retreated back to the guest room of Bag End. Nori felt bad for the hobbit, from the way he described his mother’s death, Nori was sure that it was still weighing on his shoulder's heavily. 

How old was Bilbo? Nori furrowed his brow in thought. He was out of his tweens that was obvious, but two years ago he still lived with his mother, obviously the hobbit was able to live alone now but that still raised the question. How old was their host?

Dori gave an earth shattering snore and Nori rolled his eyes, he couldn’t think here, not with the noise. Carefully the thief untangled himself from his younger brother who latched onto Dori without any prompting and the dwarf slipped from the room with no one the wiser.

Nori had grand plans of searching the hobbit’s house for an answer to his question. Carefully going through the papers and books that he knew Bilbo had in his home until he found the answer to his question but when Nori exited the guest room the light in study meant that instead all he would have to was ask. 

Dwarrow were a blunt bunch, and Nori was especially, as he cared little for sparing the feelings of others. That’s why when he found himself leaning in the doorway of the hobbit’s study Nori felt no need to censor himself. “Dori thinks you are mad.” 

Bilbo whirled around, eyes wide looking very much like a frightened rabbit. “Wha?”

Nori snorted and invited himself in. “He thinks you are mad, and plans to leave in the morning. It’s been too long since he had a real bed though, that’s the only reason he’s still here.” The dwarf after looking around for a chair and not being able to find one shrugged and took a seat on the floor.

“Personally, if you say your mother received a gift from a wizard, I find that I can’t really argue with that now can I?” Nori continued. “Answer my question Bilbo, answer it correctly and I will convince Dori to stay and we can figure out this green business, sound good?” 

Bilbo nodded, eyes still wide and trained on Nori. 

“I’ve got a secret, hobbit. If I understand your gift it should be able to tell what it is. One try.” 

Bilbo licked his lips and did his odd stare where his eyes were on the dwarf but Nori knew that he wasn’t truly being seen. “Ori...you gave birth him.” 

Nori grinned, “Very good, very good.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like my fic? Wanna talk to me about it?? Find me on tumblr! 9cloud-nine9.tumblr.com


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